South-east parents 'should be realistic about primary school places'

John Coe, secretary of the National Association for Primary Education, said there is not currently a national crisis over school numbers but accepted there will be a small percentage who will not get in to their ideal school.

A long-term solution to this shortage would be to minimise the influence of market forces on parents' choices and create a balance between community interests and resources, he added.

Mr Coe suggested that this would be an increasing issue over the next few years as there is likely to be a squeeze on both local authority expenditure and education expenditure as the recession continues.

He added: "We will have an even greater need to look after our available resources."